Really? Defeated Ojeda says he’ll run for president

A genuinely promising candidate for president from West Virginia would be a nice thing. Too bad the best we seem to be able to offer is state Sen. Richard Ojeda II, D-Logan.

Ojeda went to Washington the other day to announce that he is running for president. “We have not had people that have really fought for the working-class citizens of this country,” he proclaimed.

If Ojeda’s name sounds familiar, it is because he was on the election ballot last week in 18 southern West Virginia counties. He was running for the House of Representatives from the Third Congressional District.

Ojeda was beaten badly by Republican Carol Miller. She prevailed over him by 98,203 votes to his 75,904. Ojeda won in just two of the 18 counties. Even Logan County, his home, turned him down.

Elected in 2016, Ojeda has more than two years remaining in his state Senate term. Perhaps he should concentrate on representing his constituents in the Legislature, rather than on the presidency.

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It really is a question about how much children mean to us. Are they precious enough for us to pay just a little bit of attention while we are driving?

Not for some people — and that includes a few right here in our area.

We doubt there is a school bus driver in our area who has not watched in shock, fear and anger as motorists ignored flashing red lights and extended stop sign arms to pass his or her big yellow bus. It happens frequently, despite law enforcement agencies’ focused attempts to stop it.

That puts children at great risk as they cross streets and highways, either to get on buses or as they disembark to go home.

Recently, five American children were killed by motorists for whom paying a little attention was too much of a bother.

Three siblings — a 9-year-old girl and her twin 6-year-old brothers — were killed when they were struck by a pickup truck near Rochester, Ind. The children were crossing the road to get on their school bus, which was stopped with red lights flashing and a stop sign displayed.

A 24-year-old woman who was driving the truck has been arrested. She insists she just didn’t notice the bus.

A similar situation occured in Baldwyn, Miss. A 9-year-old boy died.

And in Franklin Township, Pa., a 7-year-old boy was killed at his school bus stop.

All five children died because drivers did not care enough for children to slow down just a little and watch for stopped school buses and/or children on streets and highways.

That occurs regularly in our area, as school bus drivers and law enforcement officers and deputies can testify.

Also a frequent occurrence is motorists zipping through plainly marked school zones — with children present — at well over the 15 mph speed limit.

It is something of a miracle that there have been no serious accidents in our area involving stopped school buses or school zones during the past several years. At some point, our luck will run out.

Please, pay enough attention that when a big, yellow school bus with flashing red lights and a stop sign is on the road in front of you, you see it.

The same goes for school zones where children are present at the same times each and every weekday.